Misreading Scripture with Western eyes : removing cultural blinders to better understand the Bible

Richards, E. Randolph (Ernest Randolph) (Author). O'Brien, Brandon J. (Added Author).

Summary: What was clear to the original readers of Scripture is not always clear to us. Because of the cultural distance between the biblical world and our contemporary setting, we often bring modern Western biases to the text. Biblical scholars Brandon O'Brien and Randy Richards shed light on the ways that Western readers often misunderstand the cultural dynamics of the Bible. They identify nine key areas where modern Westerners have significantly different assumptions about what might be going on in a text. Drawing on their own crosscultural experience in global mission, O'Brien and Richards show how better self-awareness and understanding of cultural differences in language, time and social mores allow us to see the Bible in fresh and unexpected ways.

Record details

OCLC: ocn794032443
ISBN: 0830863478
ISBN: 9780830863471
ISBN: 0830837825
ISBN: 9780830837823
Physical Description: 240 pages ; 21 cm
print
Publisher: Downers Grove, Ill. : IVP Books, ©2012.

Content descriptions

Bibliography:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-225) and index.

Contents:

Introduction: Coming to terms with our cultural blinders -- Part one. Above the surface -- Serving two masters : mores -- The Bible in color : race and ethnicity -- Just words? : language -- Part two. Just below the surface -- Captain of my soul : individualism and collectivism -- Have you no shame? : honor/shame and right/wrong -- Sand through the hourglass : time -- Part three. Deep below the surface -- First things first : rules and relationships -- Getting right wrong : virtue and vice -- It's all about me : finding the center of God's will -- Conclusion: Three easy steps for removing our cultural blinders?